We concentrate our aid in the Central African Republic (CAR) on supporting the national leprosy programme. With a population of only around four million, this country ranks among the five poorest in Africa. Each year around 300-400 new cases are reported. Leprosy is concentrated in certain regions where many people disabled by the disease live. For this reason, leprosy continues to represent a significant threat to the population there.
Civil war, robber bands, mismanagement and poverty are wrecking the entire country, and the CAR’s health system in particular. The leprosy programme is also suffering. Many sufferers fail to come for treatment or come too late. In the areas badly affected by leprosy, where the security situation permits, we train and support community volunteers in order to improve the early diagnosis of the disease (e.g. Lobaye).
We also assist the national leprosy programme to provide the care needed by leprosy sufferers: we support the distribution of medicines, the purchase and upkeep of motorcycles for the provision of wider decentral medical care as well as looking after the health centres in which leprosy sufferers find help. The final part of our commitment is training for the health personnel and volunteers as well as educational campaigns. Leprosy remains a threat to the people of the CAR because all we can do at the present moment is to ensure that victims receive adequate assistance. Stamping out the disease is impossible in the light of the prevailing conditions.
A big thank you to our partners and their financial support of FAIRMED's work in the Centralafrican Republic:
Further information on leprosy can be found here.
The experience of the past years supporting community volunteers in the Lobaye showed that health care is precarious especially for the local pygmy minority. During our commitment in the area we detected extensive health problems: The maternal mortality rate is the highest in the world; per 100’000 births 1’300 mothers die (Switzerland: 3–4 cases annually). Many children die at baby or infant age of diseases that are avoidable and treatable, such as malaria, diarrhoea, respiratory diseases, measles or malnutrition.
This is why we started a new community health project in 2010 that aims to improve the health of approximately 50’000 people in the Lobaye, a remote area close to the border of Congo. More than half of the population are marginalised half-nomadic pygmies; but also the local residents are destitute and live largely of their scant efforts in agriculture. We help to establish and improve local health posts, provide medication and train health care professionals. We incur health centre treatment costs for pygmies; costs that are quite minimal in our eyes but for the pygmies exorbitant. This is the only way to provide access to health services for them. Amongst resident communities we work on the promotion of health care and awareness-rising in health related issues. Community volunteers and health committees strengthen efforts in self-help development that is urgently needed in this region that is neglected by the state.
Fighting leprosy in the Lobaye continues; the region harbours more than half of all leprosy cases found in the Central African Republic. Community volunteers who have been educated in the detection of leprosy in the past years are now participating in the integrated project in order to gain more influence within the local communities.
